Child-proofing collar for containers having screw-on or snap-on caps



V. J. ESPOSITO, JR CHILD-PROOFING COLLAR FOR CONTAINERS HAV 3,482,723 ING Dec. 9. 1969 SCREW-ON 0R SNAP-ON CAPS Filed Oct.

INVENTOR.

FEG

VINCENT J. ESPOSITO JR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,482,723 CI-IILD-PROOFING COLLAR FOR CONTAINERS HAVING SCREW-ON OR SNAP-ON CAPS Vincent J. Esposito, Jr., 31 Jackson Ave., Wayne, NJ. 07470 Filed Oct. 9, 1968, Ser. No. 766,055 Int. Cl. B65d 55/12 US. Cl. 215-9 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE I BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention relates to a safety collar or guard for child-proofing containers having neck rings and utilizing conventional screw-on or snap-on caps.

Description of the prior art Child-proofing devices heretofore have required specially constructed bottle caps or bottle necks, or both which require more extensive and costly changes in packaging than the industry is at present prepared to adopt.

This invention satisfies the current need for a simple, inexpensive and practical means for child-proofing bottles either of glass or plastic yet retaining conventional screw-on or snap-on caps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Among the objects of the invention is to provide a child-proofing accessory for bottles having screw-on or snap-on caps of conventional construction. The accessory is in the form of a collar which may be made of resilient material in low cost quantity production by modern molding methods and is readily mounted on the neck of the bottle prior to capping. The lower or neck engaging portion of the collar is formed with neck ring engaging means which in the first instance snaps over and beyond the neck ring for location between the shoulder of the bottle and the neck ring to locate the collar in an inoperative position wherein the upper or guard portion of the collar is retracted sufficiently below the mouth of the bottle to permit securing or removal of the cap. The neck ring engaging means is formed with an interior annular groove adapted to ride on the neck ring when the collar is raised to its operative position wherein the guard portion surrounds the cap preventing finger access thereto. The guard portion is radially spaced from and out of contact with the cap and the collar is relatively free to rotate independently of the cap. A radial flange extending from the guard portion of the collar serves to stiffen the collar against radial deformation and as finger grip means whereby the collar is selectively snapped between the lowered inoperative position and the raised, cap guarding, neck ring riding position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an elevational view partly in section of a bottle neck mounting a conventional screw-on cap and fitted with a child-proofing collar embodying the inven 3,482,723 Patented Dec. 9, 1969 tion, the collar being shown in raised operative position.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view partly in section of the child-proofing collar embodying the invention removed from the bottle neck.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the child-proofing collar in a lowered inoperative position.

FIG. 5 is an elevational view partly in section of a modified form of child-proofing collar mounted in a raised operative position on the neck of a bottle having a snap-on cap, and

FIG. 6 is an elevational view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the child-proofing collar in a lowered inoperative position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring in detail to FIGS. 1 to 4, inclusive, of the drawing, 10 generally denotes a child-proofing collar molded preferably of a suitable elastomeric material, such as, polyolefins, polyvinyls, polyurethanes, ethylenevinylacetate and the like, for use in combination with a container or bottle B having a threaded neck N for receiving thereon a threaded cap C and formed with a neck ring R. Bottle B may be made of glass or plastic and cap C made of metal or plastic and all being of conventional construction.

Collar 10 is generally tubular in shape and tapers slightly from an open mouth guard portion 11 to a neck engaging portion 12. Guard portion 11 is concentric with neck N but of sufficiently large internal diameter to be separate and radially spaced from any cap C mounted on neck N. A radially outwardly extending flange 11a may be provided at the top edge of guard portion 11 for finger grip purposes and to rigidify the latter against inward deformation and possible contact with cap C.

Neck engaging portion 12 is formed as a radially inwardly extending bottom flange 12a providing a concentric opening for accommodating bottle neck N and coacts with neck ring R for releasable retention in a raised cap guarding position. The inwardly facing surface of the bottom flange 12a is formed with an interior groove 13 which is shaped and sized to snap on and off neck ring R as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, respectively. The mounting of collar 10 on neck N may be initially accomplished by application of downward pressure thereon to force bottom flange 12a over neck ring R to the lowered position shown in FIG. 4. Once mounted in this fashion on neck N, it is desirable to permit the snapping of groove 13 on and off neck ring R in a downward direction between the raised position shown in FIG. 1 and the lowered position shown in FIG. 4, but to avoid the snapping of groove 13 off neck ring R in an upward direction. This may be accomplished in any suitable manner, as for example, by forming the bottom ridge 13a of groove 13 thicker than the upper ridge 13b and also higher, that is, projecting radially inwardly to a greater degree than upper ridge 13b. To facilitate the initial mounting of collar 10 on neck N, bottom ridge 13a may be formed with a beveled exterior surface 130.

One or more pairs of slits 14 may be formed in neck engaging portion 12 to ease the force required to snap groove 13 on and off neck ring R in moving collar 10 between its operative and inoperative positions.

The operation of child-proofing collar 10 as applied to a conventional screw capped bottle B will now be apparent. Collar 10 may be readily mounted by lowering it onto neck N until beveled exterior surface rests on neck ring R. Pressure is then applied to spring bottom flange 12a over neck ring R to the inoperative position shown in FIG. 4. After bottle B is filled, cap C is screwed onto neck N in the usual manner and as long as collar 10 remains in the lowered inoperative position, cap C may be gripped by the fingers for removal and replacement. To child-proof screw-capped bottle B, collar 10 is gripped by flange 11a and pulled upwardly so that groove 13 snaps onto neck ring R and guard portion 11 surrounds cap C as shown in FIG. 1. A child attempting to open bottle B will rotate collar 10 which is free to do so on neck ring R and be unable to manipulate cap C. An adult familiar with the operation of collar 10 may uncap bottle B by snapping collar 10 into the lowered inoperative position. This may be accomplished by either gripping flange 11a and pressing downwardly or by palming, that is, pressing the capped end of bottle B against the palm of one hand while holding and rotating the bottle B with the other hand so that the pressure of the palm against collar 10 and the rotary motion imparted to the bottle eases collar 10 into the inoperative position shown in FIG. 4.

FIGS. and 6 illustrate a modified collar 20 fitted to a plastic bottle BB having a neck NN formed with a neck ring RR and terminating in a beaded mouth for receiving thereon a snap-on cap CC. Collar 20 is formed with a guard portion 21 and a neck engaging portion 22 having a bottom flange 22a provided with an interior groove 23, all being comparable to the corresponding elements of collar 10. Instead of a top edge flange similar to flange 11a which may also be used in collar 20-, the latter is shown having an exterior intermediate boss 21a which may also be used in collar in place of flange 11a.

It will be understood that collar 20 functions in a manner similar to that hereinbefore described for collar 10 except for the requirement that collar 20, when in the lowered inoperative position shown in FIG. 6, be spaced below the bottom edge of snap-on cap CC a suflicient distance to permit grasping thereof for prying the latter off the beaded mouth of neck NN.

The child-proofing collars herein disclosed are seen to achieve the several objects of the invention and to be well adapted to meet conditions of practical use. As various possible embodiments might be made in this invention, and as various changes might be made in the disclosed constructions, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A child-proofing collar for a container having a neck formed with a neck ring and fitted with a removable and replaceable cap, said collar being substantially tubular in shape with one end formed as a guard portion and the opposite end as a neck engaging portion having means for engaging said neck ring for selectively locating the collar in a raised operative position wherein said guard portion surrounds said cap to prevent finger access thereto for removal from the container and in a lowered inoperative position wherein said cap is exposed sufliciently for finger seizure and manipulation thereof for removal and replacement on the container.

2. The child-proofing collar defined in claim 1 in which said neck engaging portion is formed With a plurality of slits to ease the force required to snap said neck ring engaging means into'and out of said raised operative and lowered inoperative positions.

3. The child-proofing collar defined in claim 1 in which said guard portion is formed with radially outwardly extending means for finger gripping the collar for said 10- cating thereof in said raised operative and lowered inoperative positions.

4. The child-proofing collar defined in claim 1 in which said guard portion is formed with a radially outwardly extending flange at the top edge thereof to rigidify the collar against inward deformation and possible contact with said cap.

5. The child-proofing collar defined in claim 1 in which said neck ring engaging means includes an inwardly extending flange providing a concentric opening for accommodating the container neck and having an inwardly facing surface formed with an interior groove sized and shaped to snap on and off said neck ring to locate the collar in said raised and lowered positions, respectively.

6. The child-proofing collar defined in claim 5 in which said interior groove has a bottom ridge constructed and arranged in respect to an upper ridge thereof to facilitate downward snap-off of the groove from the neck ring and prevent upward snap-off and removal of the collar from the neck.

7. The child-proofing collar defined in claim 6 in which the exterior surface of said bottom ridge is beveled radially inwardly to facilitate the snapping of said inwardly extending flange over the neck ring in initially mounting the collar on the container neck.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,717,708 9/1955 Martinez 2l59 2,816,677 12/1957 Allan 215-43 3,097,756 7/1963 Dorsey 215-9 3,407,956 10/1968 Linkletter et a1. 29.0-38.5

WILLIAM T. DIXSON, 112., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

